


Coffee's for Closers

by Heartensoul



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Haruno Sakura-centric, Hokage Hatake Kakashi, Medical Director Sakura, Rokudaime Hatake Kakashi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:14:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28561857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heartensoul/pseuds/Heartensoul
Summary: Shizune, assistant to both the former Godaime and current Rokudaime Hokage, was taking a much-deserved two-month vacation. That left an important vacancy in the ranks: Who was going to keep the Hokage in line during her absence? It was a question that seemed to have only one answer: Haruno Sakura.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura & Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura/Hatake Kakashi
Comments: 10
Kudos: 75





	1. The Hokage's Assistant

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: It’s been a looooooong time since I was in this fandom, and longer still since I’ve written for it. I hope this premise is…interesting? I wasn’t sure, but I had to get it out of my brain.
> 
> Timeframe for this story: Set during Kakashi’s stint as Rokudaime. Sakura and Shikamaru are 25, Kakashi is 39.
> 
> Disclaimer: There is some canon-divergence in this story after Kakashi becomes Hokage, although I tried to keep as much in line as possible. However, the last two chapters will become the reader’s ‘choose your own ending.’
> 
> Japanese terms in this chapter:  
> Godaime: Fifth  
> Rokudaime: Sixth  
> Hokage: Fire Shadow (Highest-ranking ninja in the Land of Fire)  
> shinobi: ninja  
> genjutsu: Illusionary technique  
> ninken: ninja dogs  
> Daimyō: Lord  
> Henohenomoheji: the doodle of a face that schoolchildren use to indicate certain words. Kakashi uses it for his name (see: his dogs’ vests)

It started with coffee. Well, it started with a vacation, but ultimately, coffee was the breaking point.

Shizune, assistant to both the former Godaime and current Rokudaime Hokage, was taking a much-deserved two-month vacation to the hot springs along Konoha’s border and then meeting Tsunade in the Hidden Village of Rain. That left an important vacancy in the ranks: Who was going to keep the Hokage in line during her absence? It was a question that seemed to have only one answer.

“Mou, a soak in a hot spring would be perfect right now,” Haruno Sakura mumbled to herself as she tried to roll out a kink between her shoulder blades upon entering the Hokage Tower. Shizune’s absence left her with a lazy Rokudaime on her hands on top of her newly-acquired duties as Konoha’s Head Medical Director. At 25, she was the youngest in the hospital’s long history, and her insistence at proving to the naysayers that she was fully capable of excelling in the role left her spread thin (though she would never admit it.) She had been ready to tackle her first six months in the new position with creativity and a transformative drive that would make Tsunade proud, but so far all she had encountered was bureaucratic bullshit and a pettiness amongst her staff that needed constant mediation.

And now, with her fifth month rounding on her, she had Kakashi to deal with, too.

“Good morning, Hokage-sama,” she greeted her former sensei. 

“Don’t call me that,” Kakashi responded in a tone that demonstrated clear boredom with whatever document one of the clerks was waiting for him to review and sign. He glanced up at her. “Where’s the coffee?”

“…I’m sorry?”

“Coffee?” Kakashi said again, this time holding an imaginary cup in his hand and tipping it toward his face.

Sakura fumed. Shizune, a highly competent shinobi and high-level medical specialist had been regulated to the Hokage’s coffee girl?

“Do you really think that’s an appropriate use of Shizune’s skill? She’s a medical specialist!” She began to lecture. Of course, there were plenty of questionable things Shizune did for Tsunade, too (hiding booze, saving her master from gambling away her last penny, getting her back home when she drank too much—geez, Shizune really did deserve that vacation), but that came with being a Master’s apprentice. 

“Maa, maa, easy,” the Rokudaime chided, clearly trying to ease both her anger and the fear rolling off his clerk at the tense exchange. He stamped the document and handed it to the clerk in dismissal. “We take turns. It’s your week.”

Sakura was about to respond that Kakashi should be capable of getting his own coffee, and besides, she didn’t even know how he liked his coffee, when one of the Hokage’s key strategists entered the room.

“Morning,” Shikamaru drawled, his eyes glued to a document in one hand; in the other he held a cup holder with two large hot cups.

“My savior,” Kakashi sighed dramatically as he took the drink Shikamaru held toward him. He cradled it as though it were a small, precious child or a lifeline. “Sakura forgot the—”

“I didn’t FORGET the coffee, YOU should—”

“I figured as much,” Shikamaru replied, shifting Sakura’s ire entirely to him. “She doesn’t know the drill yet.”

“You two are grown men and should be able to get your own coffee!” She had to resist the urge to stomp her feet. She noticed that the clerk was slowly slinking toward the exit and trying to stay out of the crossfire now that he had his document signed. She glared in his direction, and he hurried the rest of the way out of the room.

“If you say so.” 

Sakura watched as Shikamaru took a long swig of his drink, then turned back to see Kakashi had removed the lid of his cup to allow the beverage to cool. She caught a glimpse of the bridge of his nose just as his fingers repositioned his mask. Suspicion and betrayal rolled over Sakura in quick waves: Had Shikamaru seen Kakashi’s face already? Before Kakashi’s own teammates? She frowned, about to continue to protest this bizarre arrangement when Kakashi cut her off. “We better be off. The council meeting is soon.”

“When does it begin?” Her frown deepened. She knew her former sensei well enough, which probably meant…

“Started 15 minutes ago,” Shikamaru confirmed.

“Kakashi-sensei!”

“Now now, Sakura. They knew my ways when they put me in this position. Besides, you’re in for a treat,” he explained as he stood. “The Daimyō is attending this morning’s meeting. I’m sure we’ll be debating some very important matters.”

His tone indicated he was being sarcastic, though she wasn’t sure why. Sakura couldn’t help the excitement that bubbled inside her; even though she was attending as the Hokage’s assistant, this would be her first formal introduction as the medical director with the men and women who ruled Konoha.

‘Be cool,’ she reminded herself, even as she walked ahead of the other two men by several steps.

* * *

Sakura was in a torturous genjutsu. That’s what it had to be, because nowhere else would she be forced to listen to a group of supposedly rational, powerful individuals bicker for two hours and counting over a plot of dead onions.

“It’s the principle of the matter, Daimyō-sama.”

“Yes, well, they make a very strong argument in favor though…”

“If we give them that land, they’ll believe they can twist our arm on more important matters. They will start to be difficult during negotiations.”

“It’s an onion-field, for heaven’s sake, Tohru!”

“What are they planning to do with it though? It’s a question worth considering.”

Back and forth the Daimyō and council members volleyed with no end in sight, while Sakura’s initial excitement at being privy to such an important meeting withered and died. As the Hokage’s assistant, she was a non-voting (and non-vocal) member of the group, only there should Kakashi need to be intercepted for another meeting or urgent call.

‘I’m a standing secretary,’ Sakura mused bitterly as she swayed ever so slightly at Kakashi’s side. She stood to the left of him, positioned slightly behind the space between his and Shikamaru’s seats. Kakashi had offered her a seat at the beginning of the meeting, but she had been caught up in her pride and protocol. Meanwhile, Shikamaru sat and listened with his coffee close at hand (she swore he was drawing out every sip to torture her.) Kakashi had downed his drink and tossed the cup before entering the meeting room, while she fumed at another missed opportunity. How did he do that without her seeing his face?

‘This is what all my hard work has culminated to—a standing secretary without a coffee.’

As she watched the start of another round on the same issue, she worked hard to maintain a neutral, interested expression while gazing at the debating members. Kakashi, for his part, would hum in agreement at some point and tilt his head as though in thought, all the while he discreetly doodled on his notes. She watched as all eight of his ninken appeared in the margins, then tiny variations of his henohenomoheji, and finally, a steaming disposable hot cup, complete with a smiley face and ‘Sakura’ written on the label.

‘I hate you so much,’ she thought, hoping that with enough effort, the message would pass through the space between them and enter Kakashi’s head. 

* * *

It took another hour and a half before the council and Daimyō agreed to give Rice Country half of the onion field, a compromise that left all of arguing parties satisfied and Sakura mourning hours of her life she could never get back.

“How did you enjoy your first meeting of Konoha’s great minds?” Kakashi asked her once they were down the hall from the meeting room and out of earshot. He slowed his pace a bit to fall into step beside her, and she could hear Shikamaru snort from a few steps behind them. When she looked up at Kakashi, he wore the usual expression he afforded her: eyes crinkled and mask hiding an indulgent smile.

“It was enlightening, Hokage-sama.” 

Kakashi ‘tsked’ at the title, but carried on. “Two large coffees: one with two creamers, one with three sugars. Both very hot.”

Sakura sighed in defeat. “Okay.”


	2. Masks

Chapter 2 - Masks

Japanese terms this chapter:  
Itadakimasu - Thank you for this food/I receive this food (a common phrase spoken in Japan before starting a meal.)

* * *

As promised, Sakura brought three coffees every morning the rest of the week. Shikamaru continued to enjoy his cup during the meetings, but Kakashi and Sakura downed their drinks in the hallway (and Kakashi always made sure she wasn’t looking when he did it.) She felt it would be improper to stand at the Hokage’s side with a cup dangled between her fingertips, though she was beginning to tire of propriety; it was clear no one seemed to give a damn that the Hokage spent the meetings saying very little and drawing increasingly ridiculous sketches.

“Doesn’t the council get annoyed when you draw during meetings?” Sakura asked as the trio made their way down the last set of hallways to the council room. The Daimyō hadn’t attended any of the meetings since her first morning, which left the permanently sour faces of Homura and Koharu to lord over the meeting with their outdated opinions. She had watched over the last few mornings as Kakashi drew the various clan symbols, Yamato with a sunflower, and a grinning Tsunade with a sake bottle in the margins of his notes. She would never admit it, but watching Koharu’s lips press together in displeasure after unsuccessfully calling Kakashi out for being inattentive made Sakura’s mornings brighter.

“It helps me concentrate,” Kakashi replied as he flicked his empty cup into the trash across the hall. “And as I said before, they’re used to my ways by now.”

Not to be outdone, Sakura took the final swig of her drink and tossed her cup over her head, sending it sailing behind them without a glance back. A moment later, all three of them heard a satisfying ‘swoosh’ as the cup landed inside the trash bin.

“Show off.” 

Sakura stuck her tongue out at Shikamaru and then opened the doors to the council room.

Mid-meeting, Sakura glanced down to see Kakashi had drawn a small sketch of her dunking a ball into a basket.

* * *

“You need to assert yourself more! You’re missing opportunities left and right, Forehead.”

“Hmm,” Sakura sounded in agreement, her eyes glued to the notes for a clinic in Suna. Gaara had reached out to her at the start of her tenure as medical director asking for assistance in upgrading the medical facilities in his country. She had called in Ino for help upon receiving the request, and it had grown into a full-fledge project with a multi-year plan. She was excited about the project for a multitude of reasons: it helped fortify the relationship between the two countries, it allowed her to plot out proposals that she would try to adopt in some form at her own facility, and Gaara had given her a budget that she could only dream of in Konoha. Perhaps though, if the council saw the success in Suna, they would increase her budget to stay competitive…

“One of them changed the whole surgery board two days ago. Of course none of them would ‘fess up, those asses always watch out for each other, but I’m sure it was either Daichi or that hag Niko. Poor Haru was so distraught that she was reassigned; she had put in the request to assist on the Nakamora surgery three weeks ago. You need to set them straight; they think they run the place, and I heard they’ve only gotten more brazen with you missing the first half of the day. AND I heard—”

She certainly needed to do something about what her and Ino had dubbed “The Old Regime” at the hospital: a large group of senior medical staff who had been part of Tsunade’s team, many of whom had started working at the hospital before Sakura apprenticed there, or had watched her move up the ranks. Sakura knew when she took the position that it would take some time to earn the respect of this group; however, they often fell just short of insubordination. She understood Tsunade had been a hands-off director—she had to be as both director and Hokage. But she also knew her master was a hardass who tolerated no shit, and these employees were challenging her to see what she would do. So she needed to do something. 

“Do you think we should go to Suna ourselves to help start the clinic, or could we send Amari and Benjiro?” She asked her friend, focus still on her notes. 

“Are you even listening to me?!”

“Yes. You’re right, but I haven’t decided what to do yet.” She took the pencil from behind her ear and made an additional note. “Besides, right now I have my hands full keeping track of Kakashi-sensei.”

“Is he really all that difficult to handle?”

“No,” Sakura replied truthfully. While Kakashi would forever be a peculiar guy with a fondness for being late, he took his Hokage duties more seriously than he ever did his teaching. Most of the time. “The hardest thing is keeping him focused. There’s so much to review and sign, and it can pile up quickly.” Especially when so much time was wasted in meetings discussing the stupidest things.

“You should remind him he owes you some good behavior after being a such a shitty teacher.”

Sakura flinched. Ino was the only one who knew how hurt Sakura had been when Kakashi disbanded Team 7 once Sasuke and Naruto had left Konoha. She knew it ultimately gave her the opportunity (and nerve) to work with Tsunade, but that Kakashi hadn’t seemed to give her or her training a second thought…well, it took her awhile to genuinely want to spend time in his company again.

“Ino…”

“Just saying.” They turned the corner and began to walk through one of the main market avenues. While Sakura had stocked up well for the week, Ino was looking for persimmons and oranges. They approached one of the fruit carts, and Ino began inspecting the fruit to her liking.

“So, Amari and Benjiro?” Sakura reminded and she sorted through some oranges.

“Let me pick Temari’s brain next time I see her before we decide. She can tell me what Gaara would prefer.” Ino plucked three persimmons from the bunch and put them in her bag. “In the meantime, you need to handle the Old Regime. And assert yourself in the council meetings, too! You’re not a meek woman, Forehead. Stop acting like it.”

“I’m not a council member, Pig.”

Ino snorted in disagreement. “Doesn’t matter. Take a seat at the table, Sakura. You’re covering for Shizune, but you’re Konoha’s Medical Director. Act like it.”

Sakura frowned at the orange in her palm. Wasn’t she acting like it already?

* * *

Week 2 

Sakura let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed her temple with two fingers. At her request, her own assistant began bringing the previous day’s hospital reports to her for review while her and Shikamaru waited for Kakashi to arrive every morning. While it kept a pile of problems from growing out of hand, she could see Ino was right; some of the more senior staff were taking advantage of her absence during the day and giving the newer medics a hard time. It looked like an impromptu staff meeting was in order. The Hokage didn’t have any scheduled meetings on the agenda, and it might be a good time for her to pay her staff a surprise visit.

Of course, it would help if said Hokage would arrive—with their coffees—so she could confirm he didn’t need her for anything that morning.

“Why are we rotating weeks instead of days?” Sakura questioned her officemate as she set aside one folder and moved on to some budgetary forms. Relying on Kakashi to caffeinate them for a whole week seemed like madness, and it was only Tuesday.

Shikamaru, also taking advantage of the quiet morning, didn’t look up from his own pile of documents. “It was Kakashi’s idea. It’s all part of his plan to avoid paying for coffee at all.”

That made Sakura look up from her paperwork. “How does he manage that?”

“He always takes the second week. During the first week he and Gai have one of their challenges, and the loser pays the coffee tab the following week.”

Sakura sighed. “So Gai is the one buying us coffee this week.” 

Though it was clear Kakashi was the one putting the order in; yesterday her order was mocha instead of her usual coffee, and she knew Gai would have double checked. If her order was wrong again, she swore Kakashi was getting decaf when it was her round again.

“But wait, what about the fourth week?” Since there were only three of them in the group and no scheduled meetings for the end of the month, each of them were on their own. “Doesn’t he pay for his own then?”

“Nah. Yamato comes in that week to give his updates and review the ANBU reports. Kakashi always gets him to cover the tab.”

“What a penny pincher,” Sakura muttered bitterly. 

“Is someone talking about me?” In walked Kakashi with their coffees and not a care that he was an hour and a half late, a new record since Sakura had started.

“Of course not, Hokage-sama,” Sakura assured, her voice sugary-sweet so he knew she was lying.

“Kakashi,” he corrected, side-stepping the messy pile of folders Shikamaru had been building on the floor beside his seat. He plopped both coffees in front of his respective assistants, and placed his own on one of the few clear spots on the Hokage desk. “What’s on the agenda for today?”

While Shikamaru gave him the run-through, Sakura took a sip of her drink and her lip curled in distaste.

There was hazelnut in her coffee.

She shot Kakashi a glare. He had sat down and was seemingly listening to Shikamaru, but she saw his familiar eye-crinkle of amusement and knew it was his response for her.

What a bastard.

* * *

As she had hoped, Sakura was able to leave Kakashi and Shikamaru for the morning and set off to the hospital, disgusting hazelnut coffee in hand. Unfortunately, she returned to the Hokage tower later that afternoon with another stack of medical records and a headache. The meeting hadn’t been the success she was hoping for: a lot of glowering between the different factions that made up her staff, and even more pointing fingers. She left them all with an ultimatum to stay in their lanes and act like professionals, but she was concerned it was going to take more than a scolding to deal with The Old Regime.

She could smell the aroma of dumplings wafting down the hall from Kakashi's office and hoped they had saved her a few. Her stomach growled in agreement.

“I hope you saved me some,” she voiced as she opened the door, carefully balancing her new stack in the cradle of her free arm.

“I hope that’s not for me,” Kakashi replied, eyeing her pile wearily. Sakura glanced down at his desk to see his plate and chopsticks already set aside. She had missed him maskless yet again. “Tsk. No, these are for me.”

“Oh, good! Then yes, we left you some dumplings.” He held up a container as proof, and then placed them at the other end of his desk where her chair sat waiting.

Sakura placed her files on one of the side desks and moved to her usual spot. She glanced down at her objectives list for the remainder of the day and turned to Shikamaru.

“Did the mission scrolls go out yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Why not?”

“We were having lunch.”

“Does anything get done if I’m not here to supervise the process?” 

“Okay, okay. I’ll go send them out now.” Shikamaru heaved a heavy sigh as he got out of his chair. “I’ll be back in an hour. Kakashi, don’t forget that message from T&I is still sitting there.”

“It just showed up five minutes ago,” Kakashi clarified, his hands up in a show of surrender when Sakura turned her glare on him. 

“Well, get to it, Hokage-sama.” She opened her container and broke her chopsticks. Behind her, she heard Shikamaru close the door in departure. “Itadakimasu.”

“Sakura, please,” he sighed. “Just Kakashi.”

“That’s quite informal for an assistant,” she reasoned, tapping her chopsticks against her bottom lip as though in thought. “Maybe I wouldn’t be so formal if I saw your face.”

“Ah, so that’s the game.”

“It’s not a game,” She pouted, looking away so he didn’t see. “You let Shikamaru see your face even though I was—we were your team.”

Silence settled in the room, and Sakura felt guilt and discomfort gnaw at her stomach. She had revealed too much; her careless words brought an old wound to the surface, and she knew Kakashi was too perceptive to miss it. She glanced down her her dumplings and poked one around the container.

“Sakura, look at me.” 

She steeled herself and settled her expression, half expecting him to expose his face to prove a point. When she looked back at him though, the cloth was still in its usual place. Instead, she saw the regret of his past mistake clearly written in his eyes.

“You’re still part of my team. You always will be, no matter what.”

Despite her best effort, her eyes began to cloud with unshed tears. “Okay.”


	3. A Seat at the Table

Chapter 3: A Seat at the Table

General Notes: I changed the concluding number of chapters because the story keeps growing. I also changed the rating to M for the content in future chapters.

I love making playlists, and here’s the one for this story. I will add new songs with every new posted chapter: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Vc9XriT4rjD0Fuw1ALkdD?si=178849bed91a4b15

Story Notes: 

Some references from the past are written in _italics_

T&I: Konoha’s Torture and Interrogation Division

\----------

Sakura survived Kakashi’s coffee week, although she was subject to more hazelnut, a dark roast with no cream or sugar, and on the last day, a sugar monstrosity of coffee, whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles and caramel drizzle. She was patiently looking forward to her turn again, when she would provide a swift and fitting revenge. She had already circled the Wednesday Kakashi had back-to-back meetings; she was going to buy him the sweetest concoction the cafe made.

It was the fourth week, so they all had to fend for themselves on the caffeine front. She brought a large tumbler of tea from home that morning to save time and money, and rather than leave the drink in Kakashi’s office, she brought it along for their council meeting. This one was supposed to run long, and she needed to oversee proposals with Kakashi shortly after. 

In short, the drink was necessary for her survival.

She gripped the red tumbler with her fingertips, letting her arm swing casually at her side so not to draw too much attention to it. As usual, she followed behind Kakashi and Shikamaru and they moved as one unit toward their usual spots.

“Would you like a seat?” Kakashi offered as he did for every meeting no matter how many times she declined.

_‘Take a seat at the table, Sakura.’_

“All right,” she agreed, and held her breath as Kakashi pulled out a chair next to him for her. She placed her notepad and tea down, and waited for—something—but the rest of the council paid her no mind and called the meeting to order as usual.

Her plan was to simply sit and listen, but the first point of business dealt with the appropriate amount of sabbatical time jounins should be allowed after particularly difficult A- and S-ranked missions. Sakura began to bite the inside of her cheek as an argument broke out about whether or not two days would be sufficient. 

Without thinking, Sakura began to jot down concerns in her notes, coding them in shorthand so others couldn’t interpret them if they were ever intercepted—a skill she had picked up from Tsunade. Around her, she heard some members becoming agreeable to a week’s leave—a very generous extension, in their opinion.

“Are there other thoughts on the matter before we move to a vote?”

There was a pregnant pause in the room; Sakura looked down at her notes but remained silent. Kakashi sighed beside her, and she felt Shikamaru’s foot brush hers as he shifted in his seat.

“If there are no further thoughts, we can vote on the one week suggestion—”

“If I may,” Kakashi suddenly interjected with a small wave of his hand, “make a suggestion. I believe that this matter should be brought up to the medical division and allow them to provide a recommendation. We can vote on their response in a few weeks.”

The council members glanced around the table at each other, and Sakura held her breath. Shikamaru seconded Kakashi’s suggestion, and murmurs began to flow throughout the room.

“I don’t see any objection. We’ll table the issue for three weeks and send word to the medical division.”

“I concur.”

Despite her best effort, her shoulders slumped in relief at the decision. She wanted to give Kakashi a smile of gratitude for intervening, but shame compelled her to keep her gaze down. She imagined she could feel the disappointment rolling off of him. _This_ was why he had focused on Sasuke and Naruto in their youth; who would want to bother with such a weak-willed girl?

Around her, the council moved on to the next item on the agenda, and she refocused her attention as their discussion turned to budgetary changes for the T&I division. In a new section of her notes, she wrote her short code for _Ino_ ; although she couldn’t do anything about the changes discussed, she could give Ino the head’s up about her department.

Gathering that information made her believe her presence wasn’t a complete waste, and she settled back in her chair, feeling a little better. Kakashi’s own notes caught her eye as she moved, and she startled when she saw Kakashi was doodling a caricature that clearly resembled Ino in the upper margin of his notes. She suddenly thought back to agenda items from previous meetings, and started making the distinct connections between those items and some of Kakashi’s doodles. The clan symbols, Tsunade, Yamato...

_‘Shinobi must look underneath the underneath.’_

This time, surprise overrode shame and she turned to look at Kakashi. Their gazes met, and for some unknown reason her cheeks grew warm. His own expression remained neutral, but in that moment, Sakura could read him clear as day.

‘Now you’re starting to get it.’

When they left the meeting several hours later, none made mention of her silence or the need to contact the medical division. Sakura felt as though a fire had been lit in her chest, and it was growing with promise and purpose.

It wasn’t enough to physically occupy a space. Kakashi gave her an opportunity to gain information to her benefit, and she needed to take advantage of it.

\-------------------------

**The next morning**

She needed to _murder The Old Regime_.

“I can’t believe this shit,” she muttered and she entered the Hokage office, eyes glued to the _patient's complaint_ about her staff’s behavior. Apparently two of her staff decided to enact a power play in front of the patient and argue about the best way to treat their ailment. The result was a yelling match and a patient that no longer had much faith in their medical care. Sakura couldn’t blame them in the least.

She took an aggressive swig of her tea, wishing it were something much stronger.

“Is there a problem?”

Sakura stopped in her tracks and stared at where Kakashi was sitting: In his seat, _early_ , and making quick headway on one of the smaller piles of requests on his desk. Shikamaru was nowhere to be found. 

What the hell? 

“...Are we at war?”

“If we are, no one’s informed me yet,” Kakashi replied, stamping two more documents. “What’s going on?”

“Complaints about my staff,” she responded, waving the complaint in her hand as she came to stand at the head of his desk. “I’m trying to keep the peace, but meetings aren’t solving the problem.” 

“What are they doing?” He didn’t look up from his own documents, but Sakura knew she still had his attention.

“In-fighting, mostly. I have two groups of staff vying for power they technically don’t have. And now they’re acting out in front of patients, so I may need to be more aggressive at this point.”

Kakashi’s gaze rose to hers at her last comment. He knew well what an angry, aggressive Sakura was capable of. “Sometimes restraint is a show of strength.”

Sakura openly scoffed. She, Naruto and Sasuke were the strongest shinobi in Konoha, likely even beyond that, and Kakashi knew better than anyone that they had never been well-acquainted with restraint.

“You sound like a fortune cookie.”

“Staff don’t start fighting without reason,” he offered. “It sounds like they’re trying to get your attention.”

“Well maybe I should give them what they want.” She could lay out more than half of them without lifting more than a finger. “A few firings may settle the problem quickly.”

Her response clearly wasn’t what Kakashi was recommending. “Don’t do it,” he warned, and she growled out in frustration. 

She intended to let the matter drop there, but as she glanced down at the complaint again, her temper spiked. She slammed the papers down on his desk, and it infuriated her even more when Kakashi didn’t blink. It seemed he was going to allow her the tantrum without resistance. 

Fine by her.

“My whole life I’ve had to stand beside the three of you and struggle to be considered anything more than dead weight. No bloodline, no genius title, no clan name to mark me as anyone of value. I’m not going to allow them to make a mockery of my hospital or to disrespect my hard work. It would be too easy to dismiss me again.”

‘Again’ sat heavily in the space between them. Kakashi certainly wasn’t the only one who had overlooked her promise when she was younger, but he had been a primary offender. He knew it, too, and she saw the guilt in the tiniest shift of his gaze to the left, then away. The last few weeks helped her get so much better at reading his tells. 

She sighed and moved to take up the complaint form again, upset she was unraveling in front of him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean--”

His arm shot out before she could even process the movement, and suddenly he had a hold of her wrist. She stared down at where his fingers were enclosed around her and marveled at how he could be so fast and still so gentle. 

“Don’t apologize for the truth.”

“I--” She wasn’t sure what she wanted to say. Her gaze was fixated on the largeness of his hand encircling her wrist--Ulna, Radius, Lunate, Scaphoid-- and the heat of his palm against her pulse point. She could see the countless white lines of small scars that crisscrossed along his knuckles and feel the mix of rough calluses and smooth skin that made up the pads of his fingers.

She suddenly couldn’t recall the last time he touched her, and even then, it was likely a reassuring pat on the head. She felt herself flush with some unnamed feeling. 

What the hell was wrong with her today? 

“I shouldn’t have suggested you stand down. I’m not in any position to tell you what to do.”

“I think you’re in a pretty good position to do just that,” she countered, lifting her chin to indicate where he sat, both literally and politically.

He made a noise of disagreement, and then without clarifying further, let go of her wrist and returned to the documents. Sakura watched him for a few moments, still reeling from the exchange, but the set of Kakashi’s shoulders indicated he was done with the discussion.

Looking to clear the air and de-escalate, she glanced down at the growing pile of signed requests. She plucked the most recent into her hand and scanned its contents, finding it to be a request for equipment upgrades in the T&I division. The very division that was looking at budget cuts now that the five nations were maintaining a mostly peaceful era.

“When does yesterday’s meeting decision on T&I go into effect?” She asked, though she was already sure of the answer.

“Noon today. Any requests I sign before then will be grandfathered into this month’s budget.”

“Ino told you which ones Ibiki needs prioritized.” It wasn’t a question, and Kakashi didn’t provide further comment. His eyes kept scanning the request in his hand, even when Sakura grabbed another from the incomplete pile so she could quickly summarize its contents for him when he was ready for the next one. Noon was only a few hours away, but she knew he would get it done.

Kakashi was a frustrating, flawed man, but he came through when it mattered most.


End file.
